Refrigerator unit



Dec. 20, 1932. J. REPLOGLE 1,891,728

REFRIGERATOR UN I T ori inai Filed June 6, .1921

UNITED 9 STATES PATENT OFFICE rent 3. OI nmorr, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOB, BY amen ASSIGNMENTS, TO mvmaron CORPORATION, 01' DETROIT, HIGEIGAI, A. CORPORATION OI MICHIGAN nameaaaron um' Original application fled June 8, 1981, Serial No. 4175.844, and in Canada I ebruary 11, 1928. Divided. and this application filed Kay 12, 1927. Serial No. 190,789.

' 11, 1922, now Patent No. 244,990.

This invention relates to mechanical re fri eration ap aratus, and more especially to suc as are a apted for domestic use, the present application being a divis1on of my copending application Serial No. 475,344 filed June 6, 1921, now Patent No. 1,823,002, patented Sept. 15, 1931.

In apparatus of this character, 1t has been common practice to place receptacles containin food or water in close proximity to the re igerating or cooling parts so that the material contained therein will become chilled or frozen thus rendering them suitable for table use. a

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved and simplearran ement of these receptacles with respect to t e cool ng parts of the apparatus, so that the functlon indicated will be effectively performed in a relatively short period of time.

Another object is to provide an improved means for supporting these receptacles from the refrigerating or cooling parts of the apparatus.

Other objects more or less incidental to th foregoing will be obvious to those skilled 1n the art from an examination of the following description in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a domestic refrigerator cabinet with a mechanical refrigeration apparatus installed within the cooling compartment thereof, the lower portion of the cabinet being shown as broken away.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevatlon of the vaporizer, some partsshown as broken away and others in section.

In Fig. 1 is shown a household refrigerator having a cooling unit associated therewith. The refrigerator cabinet 1 may be of any suitable construction. The one shown consists of a lower food compartment 2 and an upper compartment 3. The door 4 of the upper compartment 3 is shown as being open in order to show the cooling unit 5 located therein. The partition wall 6 between the two compartments is provided with two ventilating openings 7 and 8 for the natural convection circulation'of. the air within the refngerator. The opening 8 is, arran ed directly beneath the vaporizer 9 so that t e cold air descending from the vaporizer 9 will flow through this opening into the food compartment 2. As the temperature of this an is raised, due to its contact with the food, it will rise to theupper portions of the food compartment'2 and flow back through the openmg 7 into the upper compartment 3 wherein its temperature is again lowered as it comes into contact with the vaporizer.

The cooling unit 5 comprises a motor-compressor-condenser unit located within the,

housing 10, and a vaporizer 9 supported from the housing by means of the brackets 11. 4

The motor-compressorecondenser unit has not been shown since, so far as the present invention is concerned, any apparatus can be used that is adapted to liquefy refrigerant vapor. It is also to be noted that it is not essential to this invention that the motorcompressor-condenser unit-be located within the same compartment as the vaporizer. The same might equally as well be placed in a difierent compartment of the refrigerator cabinet, or it might be located in a different room of the building. In the latter case the connecting refrigerant conduits 12 and 14 would, of course, be properly insulated so as' to insure the eiiicient operation of the system.

The vaporizer comprises an expansion chamber or header 15 and depending refrigerant circulating conduits or coils 16, 16. The expansion chamber serves as a reservoir for liquid refrigerant. The coils 16, 16 are bent to form separate loops which communicate at their ends with the interior of the regulated by means of a float operated v'alve mechanism 18 which mechanism is so calibrated and arranged as to maintain the level of liquid refri erant within the chamber at a point above t e uppermost ends of the coils 16, 16, thereby insuring the circulation of the liquid through the loops referred to above Ssee Fig. 2.) As will be readily understood, t

1e surrounding atmosphere is cooled by the vaporizer by glving up its heat thereto with attendant-vaporization of llquid refri erant in the header and tubes. The vapor rises to the top of the ex ansion chamber from where it is conveyed ack to the gas liquefying means by the conduit 14.

The loops of the expansion coils 16, 16 are supported from the side wall 20 of the ex pansion chamber or header 15. These loops are arranged in planes parallel to each other and at right angles to the side wall 20 so as to define within them a continuous space extending lengthwise of theexpansion chamher. A metallic supportingmember-21 is se cured within the space defined by the loops of the expansion coils 16, 16 and is provided with openin 22, 22 for the reception of trays 23, 23. One of the openings 22 with the tray removed is shown on the drawing. These trays are adapted to contain water or other articles that are to be chilled or frozen.

It has been found that with this arrangement of'the vaporizer and its expansion coils,

water or other substances in the trays may be effectively frozen without the necessity of employing a liquid heat conveying medium such a's'brine, in connection with the vaporizer or lts expansion colls.

By forming the vaporizer as disclosed I- ferred arrangement of the parts, it will be understood that in all respects there can be wide variations without departing froni the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In refrigerating apparatus, the com bination of a brineless flooded vaporizer comprising a header and a plurality of pipe loops depending therefrom means for maintainlng the liquid level in the vaporizer a height sufficient to substantially fill the 'pipe loops and the lower part of the header; trays for food, water or the like; and means carried by 'said pipe loops for supporting the sald trays within the said loops.

2. In refrigeration apparatus, the combina tion of an expansion chamber a plurality of tubes bent to form separate loops and attaehed at their ends to the said expanslon eanne chamber; the said tube loops being so arranged with respect to each other as to define within thema continuous space; means for maintaining a body of liquid refrigerant in said expansion' chamber-and tube loops at a height sufiicient to substantially fill the pipe loops; a food receptacle; and supporting means for said food receptacle carried by the said tube loops and disposed within conduits and positioned within the said space.

4. Refrigerating apparatus comprising the eombination with a cabinet includinga coolmg compartment; of a vaporizer comprising an evaporating tank supported in the cabinet; a food tray'supporting member; a plur"lity of pipes bent in the form of loops and connected at their endsto the said evaporating tank, means for maintaining the liquid level in the vaporizer at a height sufficient to sub-- stantially fill the pipe loops, said loops being so arranged as to define an elongated recess for supporting the said food tray supporting member.

5. In a refrigerating apparatus, a cooling unit adapted to be placed in the path of the medium to be cooled thereby, said cooling unit comprising heat exchange means in intimate contact with a refrigerant and with said medium to be cooled, said heat exchange means having a ortion constructed and arranged to provi e a freezing zone, and another portion formed to provide a cooling zone in intimate thermal association with the medium flowing thereover whereby to cool the latter, the material of said second-mentioned portion lying outwardly of and spaced from the freezing zone on opposite sides thereof and being so constructed and arranged as to provide, without the aid of additionalmeans, ashield of heat-exchange material for shielding the freezing zone from the action of the circulating medium.

6. In a refrigerating apparatus, a cooling unit adapted to be placed 1n the path of the medium to be cooled thereby, said cooling unit comprising heat exchange means in intimate contact with a refrigerant and with said medium to be cooled, said heat exchange means having a portion constructed and arranged to provide a freezing zone, and another. portion surrounding the freezmg zone to provide a coolingzone in intimate thermal association with the cooling medium to cool the latter, the material of said secondmentioned portion being so constructed and arranged as to provide without the aid of additional means, a shield of heat-exchange material for shielding the freezing zone from the action of the circulating medium.

7. In a refrigerating apparatus, a cooling unit adapted to be placed in the path of flowing thereover whereby to cool the latter,

the medium to be cooled thereby, said cooling unit comprising a header and a plurality of duct means connected to the header in parallel circuit relation said means having a portion providin a reezing zone, and another portion provi ing a coollng zone in intimate thermal association with the medium a the material of said second-mentioned portion lying outwardly of the freeing zone in the path of the circulating medium and so constructed and arranged as to provide, without the aid of additional means, a shield of heat-exchange material for shielding the freezin zone from the action of the circulating me ium.

8. In a refrigerating ap aratus, a cooling association with the medium flowing thereover whereby to cool the latter, the material of said coohng zone lying outwardly of the freezing zone in the path of the circulating medium and so constructed and arranged as to provide, without the aid of additional means, a shield of heat-exchange material for shielding the freezing zone from the ac-.

tion of the circulating medium.

9. In a refrigerating apparatus, a cooling um't including a header,.opposed duct means extending downwardly from the header in spaced-apart upright planes disposed on opposite sides of said header, and means supported between said opposed duct means and in intimate metallic contact therewith for supporting an ice-freezing tray.

10. Ina refrigerating apparatus, a cooling unit including an elongated header, opposed duct means extending downwardly from the opposed vertical leg portions for receiving an ice-tray.

12. In a refrigerating apparatus, the combination of a brineless evaporator comprising a header and plurality of ipe loops depending therefrom, said pipe oops defining a freezing chamber, means comprising a refrigerant compression and condensing mechanism for supplying refrigerant to the vaporizer, means for maintainin in the vaporizer a substantially constant ody of li uid refrigerant to a depth suflicient to comp etely fill the pipe loops and a portion of the header, and trays for water, food or the like removably mounted within said freezing chambieir.f

13. e rigerating a paratus comprisin a cabinet having insulat ing walls and definl ng a food storage compartment within which air is circulated, means located within the cabinet comprising an evaporator for coolin the circulatmg air, said evaporator comprisin a solid im erforate wall portion in whic volatile re igerant is contained, and dividing the cabinet into a freezing compartment within which is disposed a receptacle for containing substances to be frozen, and a food storage com artment, said wall being so con-.

structed an arranged as to prevent the main circulating air which cools the cabinet from comin into contact with the articles disposed 1n the freezing compartment.

14. In combination, a refrigerator cabinet cooled by the circulation of air internally thereof, a refrigerant evaporating :unit disposed internally of said cabinet and in direct heat exchanging relation with said circulating air, said refrigerant evaporating unit comprising a part forming a refrigerating compartment exposed externally in eat exchanging relation with said circulating air,

-said part having a spaced pair of unitary side portions for preventing the circulation of air therethrough between the interior and exterior of saidcompartment, a tray for receiving substances to be frozen disposed within said compartment, said side portions being provided with refrigerant assages wherein heat is absorbed by the re rigerant directly from the air exteriorly of said compartment, and from air and the substance to be frozen interiorly of said compartment, and means for supplying refrigerant medium to and for exhausting vaporized refrigerant from said evaporating unit.

15. Refrigerating apparatus comprising a heat insulating cabinet arranged for the (bitculation of air internally thereof, a refrigerant evaporating unit disposed within said cabinet and so constructed and arranged as to divide thecabinet into a freezing compartment and food storagecompartment, said evaporating unit comprising a substantially planular solid metallic wall havin passages formed internally thereof for the distribution and evaporation of refrigerant 1i uid, the opposite sides of said planular so id metallic wall being so positioned as to absorb heat from the difi'erent compartments, means associated with the freezing compartment for supporting an ice tray, said means being disposed in intimate metallic contact with said wall, an ice tray on said support Within the freezing compartment, and a refrigerant con- (lensing unit operatively connected to said evaporating unit.

16. In a refrigerating apparatus, a cooling unit including a header, air cooling and ice freezing means associated with said header and comprising a substantially solid metallic Wall structure operatively connected to and disposed below the header, said wall structure being provided, with refrigerant passages in communication with the header, portions of said wall structure being disposed in spaced apart upright planes on opposite sides of the header and an ice freezing tray supported between said upright Wall portions. Y,

In testimony whereof I hereunto afix my signature.

JOHN R. REPLOGLE. 

